Internal combustion engines with higher power output, for example, diesel engines or ships, electric power generation, gas compression, fluid pumping and the like, reaching approximately 4 bar (absolute), can not always be operated at charge air temperatures above the dew point of the charge air. Under tropical conditions condensation forms in the charge air cooler, leading to corrosion in the engine. The dew point temperature at these charge pressures is significantly above 60 degrees Celsius. In order to avoid any condensation from forming, the charge air temperature must be kept between 65 and 70.degree. C. At these charge air temperatures, the potential for thermal overheating of the internal combustion engine at full load operation under tropical conditions exists.
A known procedure to solve this problem is to drain the formed condensation from the charge air flow path by continuously blowing off the air/water mixture through orifices into the atmosphere. If only water exits, the discharge connection overflows, and a water detection sensor sounds an alarm. In order to operate without the alarm sounding, it is necessary to moderately increase the charge air temperature and/or to reduce the power.
A constant blowing-off of charge air into a machine room can also be avoided by installing a condensation collecting device. However, measurements have shown that only a small part (approx. 20%) of the formed condensation is drained through the orifices in the charge air flow path. The small droplet size of the condensation (mist formation), as well as the flow rate of the charge air, keeps large quantities of the condensation in suspension so that it enters the combustion chambers of the internal combustion engine together with the combustion air.
Placing a water separator directly at the air exit side of the charge air cooler results in the formation, collection and discharge of large quantities of condensation. The separation rate should be at least 80% by volume. The condensation quantity can be up to 50 milliliter per kilowatt hour under tropical operating conditions (intake air parameters: temperature 45.degree. C., relative humidity 50%).
Even in ocean going ship applications, the occurring large quantities of condensation cannot be simply discharged into the bilge of the ship. The mandatory bilge water/oil separators for a bilge are designed for much smaller quantities of bilge water. The other possibility of collecting the produced condensation in a container and pumping it overboard is relatively complicated and expensive.
This invention is direction at solving one or more of the problems as set forth above.